LITERARY ALLUSIONS IN BOLAJI’S PEOPLE OF THE TOWNSHIPS
Filed Under : Literary by maureen
Oct.13,2011
Omoseye Bolaji who has produced lots of exciting fiction based on the Free State (South Africa), can observably hardly hide his love for literature, even in his least impressive creative works. In all his books, references are made to famous books and authors, often "briefly and sweetly" . One abiding memory of Impossible Love is the reference to Jules Verne's Around the world in 80 Days; an allusion also echoed in the fourth of the Tebogo series, Ask Tebogo. In The Ghostly Adversary, one of the chapters essentially focuses on the world of books and authors; in Tebogo's spot of bother one recollects the reference to Lorna Doone. It goes on and on. In Omoseye Bolaji's novel, People of the Townships (2003) the trend continues. Here the protagonist John Lefuo is presented as a young township creation, cynical, but a lover of books. He comes across as a man who has read fairly widely. Throughout his "journeys" around the townships on that fateful day he finds time to reminisce on books, authors – despite the grim mood ...

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